Presidential campaigns are where the big issues are decided. Every election cycle is important because the job of President of the United States is arguably the most important in the world. Presidential candidates rely on many different kinds of support in order to function successfully. They need voters, donors, volunteers, and staff, and nearly everyone can fill at least one of those roles.

Steps

Method1

Voting for a Candidate

1

Register to vote. If you want vote—in person, absentee, or otherwise—you’ll need to be registered. Thirty-one states allow citizens to register to vote online, and every state has printable voter registration forms online that can be mailed in or dropped off at a county board of elections.[1]

If you would like to register, simply go to https://vote.usa.gov/, and indicate which state in which you would like to vote. The website will take you to the appropriate state website, where you can register online if your state allows.

Make sure that you register within the deadline, which is usually 15-30 days before an election, although some states have Election Day voter registration. You can see a list of deadlines at https://www.usa.gov/voter-registration-deadlines.

2

Decide how to vote. At least some voters can cast an absentee ballot in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. In many other states, voters can vote in person before Election Day. Of course, all registered voters can vote on Election Day.[2]

In twenty-seven states, a voter needs no special reason to vote absentee. In twenty others, a voter needs a special reason. These reasons can be more or less restrictive depending on the state, and the voter will have to determine whether they fit into an eligible category. Find out more about absentee voting at Vote-by-Mail.

There are thirty-two states allowing early voting. Each state has different dates and times governing when people are allowed to vote early, however. The National Council of State Legislatures has a record of early and absentee voting rules by state. Find out more about early voting at Vote-Early

Mark your calendar. No matter how you decide to vote, make sure that you keep the dates in mind. There will be deadlines for registration, requesting an absentee ballot, and of course, election days. You don’t want to miss a deadline and lose your voice in that election contest.

Remember, the Presidential Primary, state primaries, and general elections are held on different days. Make sure that you’ve marked the correct date for the election you want to vote in.

If you don’t know the deadlines already, they will be listed on the website for your Secretary of State. You can find a portal that links to all 50 of the various secretary of state websites at http://www.canivote.org/. This portal is maintained by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

If you are voting in person and need assistance with your ballot, ask the poll worker. If you are voting absentee and need assistance with your ballot, call or visit your county board of elections.

Method2

Donating to a Candidate

1

Choose where you want to donate. Since the Supreme Court’s rulings in Citizens United v. FEC and Speechnow.org v. FEC, there are more organizations than ever to donate to.[3] You can donate to the candidate directly; to a candidate’s PAC; to a state, national, or congressional party; or to a super-PAC that is working on behalf of a candidate. The following information applies to Federal elections only. State candidate’s limits are set by the states.[4]

Donating directly to the candidate’s campaign is the most conventional way to make a donation. If you were to donate at a campaign office or on the candidate’s website, this is probably what you would be donating to. The limits on contributions are $2700 per election—so $2,700 for the primary and another $2700 for the general election.

If you donate to a candidate PAC—a political action committee—you can donate larger amounts, but candidates have more discretion to share the funds with other candidates. The limits for individuals donating to PACs are $5000 per year.

You may donate $10,000 per year to a state party and $33,000 to a national party committee, but there’s no guarantee that your money will go to your specific candidate. The parties have discretion.

A super-PAC—a nonprofit that advocates for political positions without explicitly endorsing a candidate (although they can criticize candidates) can accept unlimited contributions. Super-PACs are usually affiliated with a candidate.[5]

2

Decide how to time your donation. Since a candidate may have to stand in a primary election in addition to the general election, you should think about when to time your donation. If the primary is going to be very close, you might want to max out your donation then. If the general is going to be closer, it might make more sense to donate after the primary.

3

Send in your money. You can donate by check, money order, or credit card. If you donate to a party, a PAC, or a candidate, you will have to disclose your address and profession.

Method3

Volunteering for a Candidate

1

Sign up on the candidate’s webpage. The quickest way to start volunteering is to go to the candidate’s webpage and sign up. A lot of campaigns even allow volunteers to phone-bank remotely, so you can get started almost immediately.[6]

If primary season has passed and you don’t live in a swing state (a competitive state), then remotely phone-banking might be the only way you can actively volunteer.

Don’t be the person who signs up to volunteer and gives no contact information. The campaign has to be able to contact you in order to schedule for events.

2

Show your support. The most basic way to volunteer is simply by showing support--advertising which candidate has your support. There are several ways you can do this, including wearing a t-shirt, putting a bumper sticker on your car, putting a yard sign in your front yard, or sharing news stories, memes, and campaign ads on social media.

These are the easiest ways to volunteer, but make no mistake, they are also the least effective. Yard signs don't even move the needle by two percentage points, bumper stickers do even less, and "sharing" things on social media is mostly preaching to the choir. These things might make you feel better, but they don't do much else.[7][8]

3

Find a campaign office. If you want to help in a more hands-on way, go to a campaign office in your area. If you live in a swing state, there’s probably going to be a campaign office nearby. You should be able to locate one on the candidate’s website. If you live in a non-competitive state, there will probably only be offices there during primary season.[9]

4

Come in for training. No matter what you do for the campaign, the campaign will typically need to give you minimal training before you get started. Schedule a time to come in and get trained.[10]

Campaigns need people to convince other people to vote for them, which means that the primary volunteering needs are in door-to-door canvassing and phone-banking. There’s not too much envelope stuffing that goes on anymore.

5

Work where you are needed. If you want to really help with the campaign, pitch in where you’re needed. If the campaign needs people to phone-bank one week and needs people to knock on doors another week, be flexible.[11]

Although campaigns can seem chaotic, there’s a method to the madness. Local campaign staff often have directives from the higher echelons of the campaign directing them to make calls to build enthusiasm for certain events or knock on doors to get out the vote.

6

Don’t be a flake. Volunteers can be very unreliable. They show up late, not at all, or on a completely different day than they said they would. Presidential campaigns are major undertakings--a mass movement constructed in a manner of months--reliability is key.

In fact, this is so common that campaigns have a term for it—the “flake rate.” The flake rate is about one in three in a conventional campaign, meaning that one out of three committed volunteers will not show. Just be considerate. If you won’t show, call and let someone know.[12]

Method4

Working for a Candidate

1

Learn a skill campaigns find useful. A campaign is basically composed of five departments: political, communications, fundraising/financial, data, and field. If you aspire to work for a campaign, you’ll need to learn a skill that is transferable to one of those departments.[13]

Field operations manage volunteers, register voters, forge relationships with community leaders, and conduct get out the vote efforts. Many operatives begin their careers in field, so it’s a good area to apply for if you have no experience. If you’re good with the public, are totally committed to the candidate, and can work eighty hours a week, field might be for you.

Communications crafts messages, writes press releases, ads, and speeches, and deals with the media generally. If you have a background in writing or journalism, communications might be the job for you.

Fundraising and financial departments bring in the money and help decide how it will be spent. They find and research donors, manage the candidate’s “call time,” or fundraising calls, and help create budgets.

The data department uses demographic, economic, polling, and population data to tell the campaign where the voters are, and which voters to target first.[14]

Political mainly gathers endorsements and surrogates. Unless you have established relationships with governmental and party officials, you may have to work a few campaign cycles before you move into political.

2

Connect with your local party. The best way to stay abreast of openings on campaigns is to connect with your local party organization. Most of the time, the party is going to be aware of a candidate’s run before anyone else, and candidates will usually ask party leaders for staff recommendations.

3

Apply for a job of your choice. Once you find a position you are interested in, polish your resume and apply. As with any job, it helps to have connections and references within the sector, and you want to put your best foot forward when you submit a cover letter and go on an interview.